Samson
by Petite Rogue
Summary: "I loved you first, I loved you first." The story of Lucius Malfoy's first love.
1. You Are My Sweetest Downfall

_**Disclaimer**__: I own nothing_.

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**Samson**

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_You are my sweetest downfall_

_I loved you first, I loved you first_

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"Shacklebolt, Aurelia."

It wasn't love at first sight, he was only eleven after all, but something about her intrigued him, even at that young age.

He watched the tall, slender girl walk carefully to the stool where the old battered hat sat expectantly. She walked the way he had seen his own mother teach his younger cousins to walk; chin up, eyes ahead, face composed into alluring neutrality. And her dark skin was most definitely alluring; under the lights of the Great Hall it seemed to radiate and her hazel eyes were piercing in contrast.

The hat was placed on her carefully coiffed bun, and he swore he saw a look of annoyance cross her features; he was sure that the girl would be Sorted into his own House. If he believed in such things as crossing ones fingers and expecting something, he would have done so under the table, wanting this Aurelia Shacklebolt to be his new acquaintance, perhaps even his friend, and later, he would ask her to be his wife.

After what seemed like ages, particularly in comparison to his own (the Hat had barely been in place before announcing SLYTHERIN!) the Hat finally spoke.

"HUFFLEPUFF!"

The yellow and black House clapped cheerfully. The Shacklebolt name was known. The list concluded, the Headmaster muttered a few odd words, reminders about the Forbidden Forest and Filch's desires that went unheeded that he would come to repeat every year, but he never remembered the speeches. Like that first year, he would be too busy looking at Aurelia, fascinated by her movements, her expressionless face, and wonder where the hat had really wanted to put her.

"Quit gawking Malfoy."

And someone would always bring him out of his reverie.

Lucius Malfoy turned and glared at the fifth year sat across from him, though his glare withered under the scrupulous look of the dark haired boy.

"I wasn't...gawking."

He hadn't been, he was admiring.

"Stay away from them Shacklebolts," the boy continued, helping himself to the food that appeared on the gold plates before them. "Pleasant to look at, nice for conversation, but law-abiding fuckers if I ever saw any."

"Himesh Shacklebolt is Head of Magical Law Enforcement," someone expanded.

"Every single one to pass through here becomes a fuckin' Auror of sorts; always bloody Hufflepuffs and Gryffindors as well."

Lucius would come to learn that Aurors, Hufflepuffs and Gryffindors brought distaste to many of his housemates, who's dabbling with illegal materials often bought them face-to-face with a Shacklebolt.

"Watch your language. And you firsty, will do yourself a favour if you stay away from the likes of Aurelia Shacklebolt."

By the time he'd found out what the likes of Aurelia Shacklebolt meant was later, listening to one of his father's rants that his mother had previously protected him from, he was already intrigued by her.

He'd watch her from far away.

There was something about her. Something about the way she spoke, the way she held herself. Lucius Malfoy was captivated. He would watch her whenever he could, find reasons to be in the library whenever he overheard a study session was coming up and watch her laughing with her group, resisting pangs of regret that he was not in another house.

Her walk radiated strength, confidence, determination. When her eyes fell upon him, he could feel their steely gaze and it took strength not to flinch. Her lips beckoned him, and her fierce loyalty was respectable as opposed to plain foolish.

All this, and she was nothing more than a Halfblood Hufflepuff.

The tradition was that the Shacklebolt males would all marry a Muggleborn or Halfblood to ensure that their blood never ran thin; it was a tradition that the rest of the established families sneered at, but from his research '_Blimey Malfoy, you're turning into a right stalker aren't you_' the Shacklebolts were one of the oldest wizarding family in Britain, and the purest in the sense that their blood never mixed with one of their own.

He would never admit to anyone, not even to himself, that he thought they had the right idea.

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_**A/N**_ – A ficlet of sorts about Lucius Malfoy's true love based on Regina Spektor's beautiful song _Samson_. Enjoy and review!


	2. Beneath The Sheets of Paper Lies

_**Disclaimer**__: I own nothing_.

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**Samson**

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_Beneath the sheets of paper lies my truth_

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**Are you free this weekend?**

He'd scribbled the note. He was intending on asking her out, finally.

It was in Potions, Slughorn was droning on and on and on. He didn't hear a word of it. He was staring at the back of her head, her curly black hair pulled into that neat bun, sat upright and alert, her hand moving methodically as she took down the words that he barely registered. He knew that her writing was tight, fluid, like an enticing lullaby the way it scrolled along the parchment. He knew because he had been ill recently, a bad bout of flu, and she had lent him her notes, albeit reluctantly. Aurelia, as a Hufflepuff and Shacklebolt had every right to be suspicious of his motives. But they were always partnered during Prefect duties as an example of unlikely House members that got along, and he had returned them just as he had been given them. Pristine.

It frustrated him that she was not in his House. It would make everything so much easier. Lucius fought his urge to fidget as nerves bubbled up inside of him. This was dangerous; anyone could find out what he was doing, and then he would lose all his social standing, he would be ridiculed, his father would get wind of this and kill him most likely, and for what? For a _crush_?

So consumed in his thoughts, he did not notice when Narcissa Malfoy leaned over as she often did, despite his expressed annoyance.

"What are you hiding?" she whispered.

He pushed the note further into his notes.

"Nothing."

His response did not deter her, and she reached long pale fingers into his notes and pulled out what he had been trying to hide. As her face lit up, his face fell. Of course the young woman Abraxas Malfoy was so desperate for him to marry would assume it was for her. Of course his family standing would continue to ruin his life.

"Oh, Lucius!"

He plastered on a smile.

"I guess you found it."

For years to come, he would wonder what would have happened if he had not allowed Narcissa believe the note was for her. He would wonder what his life would have bee like had he given it to the dark beauty who had turned her head to see what the commotion was about.


	3. I Have To Go, I Have To Go

_**Disclaimer**__: I own nothing_.

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**Samson**

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_I have to go, I have to go_

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"I don't think we should see each other anymore."

Aurelia sighed, but did not move her head from where it was rested on Lucius' chest.

"Interesting how you decide this after we've had sex Lucius."

He did not tell her that it was what he had been waiting for through all their months of sneaking around. He had wanted, no _needed_, to have her first, to then feel her in his arms, to have the post-coital moments where he would just hold her, the very moment he had just destroyed before he returned to reality. It had taken him the entirety of sixth year for her to finally fall for his charms; Christmas of their seventh year was fast approaching, and the pressure to propose to Narcissa was heating up.

At least they had consummated their love.

"I'm sorry."

He stroked her hair as they just lay there, not caring if someone should need to use the Room of Requirement. He loved her hair loose even more than when it was in its bun. It sprung out like a lion's man and framed her face. Later he would lie in bed with Narcissa and do the same, all the time not caring for the blonde locks despite his attempts to do so. Her hair was so normal and Aurelia's so...hers.

"I'm sorry too."

His brows knotted together. "What for?"

"For falling in love with you."

His hands stopped in their place as he looked down at the sensible young woman, and adult now in the Ministry's eyes, who had resisted him for so long and then given in. The very same woman who had just admitted her love for him. Pain shot through his heart, and for a moment he thought he could no longer breathe. He had to get out of there. He could no longer look at her.

Lucius hastily grabbed discarded items of clothing from where they had been thrown the night before, pulling them on with the grace of a fourth year Gryffindor male, focusing on speed as opposed to presentation.

"Where are you going?" she asked, watching him from the bed, the sheets covering the body he had ravaged the night before. Her neck held the evidence of his desires, as his back proudly wore the scratches. He did not answer her straight away, but continued to clothe himself. "Lucius, answer me!"

He forced himself to meet her eyes, those piercing hazel orbs that now held nothing but confused hurt. He looked away. "I'm sorry."

"No!"

Aurelia had jumped out of bed and wrapped her arms around his body, stopping him from reaching the door. His mind went blank as he felt her breasts pushing on his back as she held on to him, his arousal growing, and for a moment he felt his resolve to leave breaking.

"Stay!"

He growled and pushed her arms away, simultaneously pushing away all his feelings for her. They couldn't do this anymore. He couldn't do this anymore. Aurelia crumpled to the floor, tears streaming down her face; he would remember that as the only time he had ever seen her cry, seem so weak and helpless, so broken. It was the only time he would see a pleading look on her dark feline features.

"I'm sorry." He wrenched his eyes away from her sobbing, naked frame and turned away. "I have to go."

With that he left the young woman he had fallen in love with too.


	4. Your Hair Was Long

_**Disclaimer:** I own nada._

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**Samson**

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_Your hair was long when we first met_

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"Have you seen Aurelia Shacklebolt?"

"Of course he has, when is he not looking at her?"

He did not know what they were talking about on the Threstral drawn carriages back up to school. He had spent the entirety of his Christmas break trying not to think of her, attempting to erase the last time he had seen from his mind; the sorrow in her eyes, the way she had begged him not to go, and he had just left. It had not been successful. In between his meetings with the Black family about his recent betrothal to Narcissa and meetings of the Knights of Walpurgis, he had thought of nothing but her, and in the mornings he would awaken with a need of a cold shower. Lucius had easily fallen for Aurelia, but he was discovering it was not so easy to fall out of love.

He did not have to wait long to see what they had been talking about when he searched for that neatly wound bun that he had grown to associate with his love, but he could not find it on the Hufflepuff table. Instead he found this girl he did not recognise.

His close friends mocked him for his staring, nothing new there, but they did not realise the reason he could not look away had changed.

"What have you done?" he would demand later, cornering her in the library somewhere where they could not be seen lest someone was standing in the same aisle.

He towered over her small frame, but she held her ground, staring at him unflinchingly. Though he felt the urge to look away, he maintained eye contact. He needed to know why she had done this to herself, why she had chopped off her long mane until there was little left.

"What is it to you Malfoy? Does it matter what I look like?"

His surname sounded wrong coming from her mouth.

"This isn't you." He reached out and touched the short strands. She closed her eyes at his touch, letting out a sigh as if she had been holding her breath all this time. "Your hair used to be so long."

"And I used to be in love with you. People change."

It was most definitely not just her hair that had changed, it was also her as a person. The spring term of their seventh year, Lucius felt as if he was staring at a stranger from far away. Some changes were bigger than others; he was amongst a select few who had noticed she would turn up to morning classes with pyjamas sticking out from out under her robes, only he noticed that their patrols had returned to being nothing more than the silence that he was very much aware he deserved (though he had secretly hoped for more), but everyone noticed when she begun to fall asleep in class, to hand in late assignments or to not turn up at all.

"Geez, your Hufflepuff has really let herself go."

Looking in the direction the commentator was looking at, he resisted the urge to usher her out of the library. Either she had broken her mirror or his actions the previous term had hit her hard; her short hair had yet to see a brush, sticking out in all directions, and she was sat in her pyjamas, slippers on her feet, dark bags under her eyes, staring at a page in a book she did not seem to be reading at all.

It was when she looked up at him that he knew that she was close to slipping. Those amber orbs that had seemed to look past him these past seven years were dull. And Aurelia Shacklebolt was never dull.

He knew he had to do something.

"Marry me."

They had come to the end of their rounds, and were at the halfway point between the Hufflepuff and Slytherin Common Rooms. He knelt down.

Her eyes widened at his gesture. "But, what about-"

"It doesn't matter. Marry me."

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_**A/N **_- Another couple of chapters up! It would mean a lot to me to know what you guys think of it. Thanks for reading anyway. :)


	5. Samson Went Back To Bed

_**Disclaimer:** Nada is owned by moiself._

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**Samson**

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_Samson went back to bed_

_Not much hair left on his head_

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When Abraxas Malfoy was angry, he was angry. Though his old age was leading to ill health, he still had the strength to berate his only son about the Malfoy standards. It had taken Lucius the majority of the Easter break to build up the courage to tell his father that he no longer wished to marry Narcissa Black and had instead proposed to a Shacklebolt.

Lucius had so far dived out the way of several spells.

"You think I will let you bring shame on my family all for some Halfblood harlot?" The senior Malfoy demanded. "You think I will just step aside and let you throw your life away? Never!"

There was only one thing Lucius could say, dodging a red spell as it whizzed past him.

"I love her."

"You will love who I tell you to love!"

He "pulled a Sirius Black" that night. He had Apparated on a whim, but was unsurprised to find himself in the town he knew the Shacklebolt home to be. Using a Point Me Spell, he walked through the streets urgently, momentarily forgetting the Statute of Secrecy, and most certain that if any Muggle saw him, they would think him some drugged up teenager fascinated with a stick.

He hammered on the door.

"Aurelia!"

Surprisingly, Himesh Shacklebolt himself opened the door, still dressed in work robes. He was getting on in age but he was an imposing man. Was Lucius not determined to see his love, he would have shirked back. "What is the meaning of this? Young man do you know what time-"

Himesh had seen the characteristic platinum blonde hair, the Malfoy character trait, the Malfoys forever a pain in the Ministry's backside. Everyone knew they were corrupted, yet very few would do anything about it. A scowl appeared on his dark, world-weary face.

"Malfoy."

In a few years time the man that stood before him would sign a warrant for his arrest, but at the time, he was a protective father who not let this impertinent young man anywhere near his only daughter.

"Please, sir. I need to see Aurelia."

"I'd rather eat jellied frog spawn than let you anywhere near my daughter."

Seeing no alternative, Lucius recommenced his shouting. "Aurelia! AURELIA!"

Kingsley Shacklebolt would emerge, ever the older brother, ever the calming presence. Later, when he was Minister for Magic, Kingsley would wonder if Lucius remembered that night when he had been any other eighteen year old boy, crazy in love with his younger sister. If they had not turned him away would they have been brothers? Would they have saved his soul?

"Please remove yourself from our premises, Malfoy."

Lucius did the opposite and instead crumpled to the floor on the steps of the door, begging the Shacklebolt males as he would plead his innocence time and time again.

"Please...please let me see her."

"Remove yourself from my front door or I will remove you."

He took a step back and let out a primal roar.

"AURELIA!"

That night, as he cut his silver locks off, watching it fall to the floor, he realised how much pain she must have been in to stand in front of the mirror and cut, cut, cut.


	6. He Ate A Slice of Wonderbread

_**Disclaimer:** Own nothing.  
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**Samson

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_He ate a slice of wonder bread and went right back to bed

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Some nights he could not sleep.

Lucius would wander around the Malfoy Manor, which since the untimely death of his father was now his, losing track of time as his mind took over. First stop was the kitchens, where the motions of manually preparing himself an elf bread sandwich was calming. He quite liked the kitchens; it had been a sanctuary when he was younger, after his mother's death. His father would never venture down there, and now, nor did Narcissa. She had married into luxury and lived accordingly.

Sat in the gloomy moon-lit kitchen, he could not help look at the Dark Mark, that ugly imposing mark etched on his right arm. He hated it, and hated himself for allowing himself to get it. He had bought Abraxas' rubbish about power; only now did he realise that he had given away his power to a megalomaniac.

He would wander to the nursery and look at Draco, a few weeks old, his future. He loved his son dearly despite the fact that he still thought the blue eyed babe looked more like a potato than anything; Draco would be his future, and he would try to do everything he could to ensure the best life for him. He would teach him early on the dangers of falling for the wrong woman.

Astoria Greengrass would please him as a daughter-in-law.

She was a Pureblood, and unlike his marriage, it had not been arranged. He would berate himself over the pangs of jealousy he felt when he saw his son and his wife together; they were in love, and had married for that reason.

Lucius would then find himself in bed again, tired from his thoughts and ambling around the large mansion. He would try his best to love the woman beside him who cherished him so, it was his duty as a husband, and he had sworn to do so on their wedding day, but never quite shaking the feeling she was wrong for him.


	7. The History Books Forgot About Us

_**Disclaimer:** Own nothing.  
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**Samson

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_And history books forgot about us and the bible didn't mention us_

_And the bible didn't mention us, not even once

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They would pass each other at the Ministry, and no words would pass between them.

It was like they had never known each other.

He had paid his way back into the Ministry, Galleon by Galleon, but never back into her heart. Whilst he had grown his hair back, he noticed that hers was still short and harsh on her otherwise delicate features. Aurelia Shacklebolt was known as the "Dragon Lady" of the Magical Enforcement Department; she was Head Administrator, in charge of keeping on top of the vast amount of paperwork generated, methodically and diligently, a hard worker and loyal to her work and not the Ministry, hence why she could not be bought or coerced in any manner. None of the Shacklebolt family could be but where Kingsley was the calming presence, she was imposing like her father had once been.

It was easier to write a report than to have Aurelia Shacklebolt pay you a personal visit.

Lucius was different. He craved those personal visits. He would watch his IN tray pile up, higher and higher, declining other's offers and advice to help him with it. He knew what he was doing thank you very much, and he would sort it when it was more convenient to him. He felt like a schoolboy whenever he returned from a business lunch to find her leaning on his desk, tapping her foot impatiently.

"Mr Malfoy," she always began, fixing him with an irritated glare that sent shivers down his back. "You are currently six weeks behind on paperwork. Ministry regulation clearly states that all paperwork must be filled within this time period. Failure to do so will result in a visit from myself, and refusal to take action will result in a hearing, possible suspension and in extreme cases, your dismissal."

"How I do love your visits, Miss Shacklebolt," he would reply, smiling pleasantly at her steely gaze. "Please, sit. Kindly keep me company while I fill out the remainder of these forms."

"I want those forms in my office by the end of the week Mr Malfoy."

"Surely it wouldn't be too much for us to have coffee together, for old times sake?"

"Seeing as you're not the only idiot who refuses to keep on top of his paperwork, I can assure that even if I had the faintest desire to spend time with you, I would not have the time." She left the room, reminding him of his deadline as she left. "Until the end of the week, or I can assure you, your budget will not be staying as big as it currently is."

However brief these encounters were, Lucius always reasoned that Aurelia had a several assistants, fresh out of Hogwarts and an assortment of differing schools who could easily come down regularly to harass him. And yet, she always made the visit herself.

Sometimes, on those lucky days, work functions would force them together.


	8. Beneath The Stars

_**Disclaimer**: I own nothing._

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**Samson**

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_Beneath the stars came fallin' on our heads_

_But they're just old light, they're just old light

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He felt like he had done all those years back, an eleven year old boy fascinated by a girl who did not know, or really _want_ to know he existed. It only took half a dozen work functions for his colleagues to begin tormenting as his classmates had done about his obvious crush on the Dragon Lady. Always she would take a seat in a strategic position in the room where she could see everyone and everyone could see her. Nursing a tumbler of whiskey throughout the night, she would sit silently, stoically; approach her and she was amicable enough, but those eyes... It was hard to be around her for long.

Yet that's what fascinated the older Malfoy so.

He felt drawn like a moth to her smouldering presence. Sometimes their eyes would meet but nothing more. She would look away, no longer holding his gaze like she had once done and their momentary connection would be over. He drunk enough at these functions to dull the sense of loss whenever he laid eyes on her, Firewhiskey often doing the trick more efficiently and quickly than the rest, but never enough to allow him to be publicly drunk. He might drink more when he returned home, much to Narcissa's dismay, who, with her son now at Hogwarts, had nothing more in her life than a distant, verging on alcoholic husband, and an empty house.

Lucius did not see how he could _not_ drink.

With things in life slowly spiralling out of control, nights (and sometimes days) were spent drowning in the what ifs of the past. He had grown to care for Narcissa greatly, but she was no Aurelia. Hours were spent mulling over what his life would have been like had he married the daughter of the Head of the Magical Law Enforcement, rather than the daughter of a pro-Voldemort pro-Pureblood psychopath. Every time that ugly mark etched on his arm got darker, it throbbed a little more, he would reach for a glass, or two.

However relaxed and sociable these work functions were intended to be, sometimes it proved most difficult, particularly when he watched eligible wizards attempting to soften the Dragon Lady with their advances whilst battling with the monsters of his past.

One night he drunk too much.

"Lucius?"

He had resisted his instincts to spin around and see who it was that had crept up on him for he knew that voice well; silky, determined, soft yet strong. He emptied the last of whatever his stomach held and cleaned himself up before slowly turning to face her.

"Aurelia."

Her name felt strange in his mouth, and not just because it currently tasted like singed vomit. It had been almost twenty years since that name had left his mouth, directed at her. She seemed as stunned to hear it as it had been for him to say it.

"I was checking to make sure you were still alive," she said, clearing her voice.

"Thank you for you concern."

"I guess, I'll be going."

As she turned to leave, for the first time in his life he understood how she had felt that night when he walked away. He was quite certain that he preferred the Dark Lord's torture to the stabs of pain he felt in what he guessed was his heart. Reaching out, he grabbed her arm.

"Don't go." She stopped and scrutinised him under the light being shed from inside. Most of his hair had come loose from its usual tie at the back of his neck, and framed a harrowed face, which in what little light appeared translucent, a paleness only known to Malfoys and Veelas. His handsome features were twisted in desperation. "Please."

To his surprise, she stayed.

"We can't stay out here," she said after a few moments of silence. She glanced back at the open door, where things were still in full swing. "They'll talk."

"Then let's go somewhere else." Lucius offered an elbow, for Side-Along Apparition would be easier if he was the only one who knew where they were going. Aurelia was torn, glancing between Lucius and the hall behind them. "Aurelia?"

"We'll leave, just like that, without saying goodbye?"

"You never speak to anyone here anyway, and I was clearly unwell if you followed me. If need be, I'll just have to tell them all how the Dragon Lady took advantage of me in my drunken state and still made me fill in my forms on time, but I'll doubt it'll come to that."

Against her better judgement, Aurelia smiled at his boyish grin. It was like they had been transported back to their time at Hogwarts, where his terrible charm and persistence had brought them together. With a small sigh, Aurelia held on to his offered arm.

"Where are we?"

He held on to her, as she regained her balance. Side-Along Apparition never got any more comfortable, and was particularly harsh on the system mixed with alcohol, but what whiskey she had drunk remained firmly inside of her, and sooner than he had hoped, she let go of his arm to marvel at the garden that they were now stood in.

"Just one of the Malfoy estates."

He did not find it relevant to tell her that this was in fact the garden to his Wiltshire home, also his family home. It would dampen the sparkle that had appeared in her eyes as she stopped to admire a small fountain set in the middle of the rose garden, depicting a scene between two lovers, intertwined as they gazed into the distance, illuminated by pixie lights. His mother had had it commissioned in the first years of his parents marriage, when they had begun to love each other, long before hate had settled in.

Narcissa had never seen the rose gardens as far as he knew. She spent the majority of her time inside, considering that the Black family were not very horticultural, and preferred sprawling town houses to mansions with vast gardens, and when she did venture outside it was to spend his hard-earned money on herself, the manor or Draco. Sometimes, he would be lucky like tonight, and she would be away at a Witch Spa with a fellow Slytherin alumni who had married wealthily and needed a break from the strenuous life of spending money, bearing children often raised by the house elves and tutors, and looking beautiful.

"It's beautiful," she gasped, even if she could not make out what everything was. "You must show me more."

"Certainly."

He could hardly keep his eyes off her as he gave her a tour around the garden, mesmerised by the radiance of her dark skin in the moonlight, the way she still held herself with such poise, how even when she did not smile, her eyes would betray her. His heart beat loudly against his chest when he took her hand in his to lead her to his favourite place and she did not immediately let go.

Though he had never fully fallen out of love, he could feel himself once more falling for her.

"I love coming here in the summer, when the water captures the sun in the most breathtaking manner, and the trees are this most enticing shade of green," he told her, as they sat by a bench facing the calm waters of a lake, fireflies flitting around, casting a mystical glow around them. "You should come back soon and see for yourself."

"Let's not get ahead of ourselves," she said softly. She leant towards him, resting her head on his shoulder. "Let's just enjoy this moment."

Wrapping an arm around her, he pulled her closer, salvaging the vanilla essence she gave off, remembering that it had been he who had bought her the first bottle, having noticed in sixth year she always ate the vanilla sponge when it was available, on Sunday morning drank vanilla and camomile tea whilst reading the Sunday Prophet and that summer he had seen her out with her family, and he'd overheard her say that she loved vanilla ice cream. The smell triggered a flood of memories from their time 'together'.

Sighing, he leant back, staring up at the sky.

"I haven't seen stars this bright since the Yule Ball," he said. "There was a reason that year the theme was masquerade. I wanted to be able to be near you without causing trouble for either of us."

"I remember quite clearly you dancing with Black the whole night."

"You know I had little choice," he said softly, trying to soothe out the bitterness laced in her voice. "It was you I wanted to be with then. It's you I want to be with now."

"You are with me right now. But tomorrow, we'll wake up and obligations will pull us apart," Aurelia sighed. "We're not seventeen anymore Lucius."

"So like you said, let us enjoy this moment."


	9. And He Kissed Me Till The Morning Light

_**Disclaimer:**__ Me own nothing. Not the song, or Lucius. Only partially own Aurelia.

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**Samson

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_Your hair was long when we first met

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As they sat there, wrapped in their own little world, he reached out and touched the small short curls that framed her face.

"Why did you never let your hair grow back?"

"I'll never be that girl again Lucius."

But no matter what she said, Lucius could feel her melting in his hold the way she had done all those years back. She felt right in his arms, and he wished that in a few hours time he would not have to let her go, to watch her walk out of his arms. In a few hours she would be nothing more than the Dragon Lady once more. She reached up to touch his hair, shaking the remainder from the ribbon that tied it at his nape. It fell past his shoulders like it had always done, framing his strong aristocratic face.

"But you, you never change Lucius."

To his surprise, she reached up, wrapping her fingers in his hair and pulled him close, smashing their lips together in a hungry, passionate embrace.

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_Samson came to my bed_

_Told me that my hair was red_

_Told me I was beautiful and came into my bed

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Their hands were a frenzy. Bodies had changed over the years and remained ever the same.

It took more restraint than either of them had to refrain from shedding their clothes then and there. Instead they made their way slowly back up to the manor, stopping every few feet to kiss like naughty teenagers, sometimes falling into the grass and rolling around. Her laughter was music to his ears as he tickled her mercilessly, and it felt strange to smile, to truly smile.

Impatience took a steady hold of him as they neared the house, and he swept her up into his arms and carried her across the threshold. He allowed himself to imagine that they were newly weds and this was their first night together, not knowing that the woman in his arms was imagining the same as she curled into him, wishing this moment would never come to an end.

He led them to the nearest room, and flung her on the bed, shedding his clothes down to his underwear before prowling after her to help her do the same.

"I'd forgotten how rough you are Lucius," she giggled as he tore the buttons off her dress robes in his haste to pull it off.

"I'd forgotten just how beautiful you are," he replied, pausing to admire her face bathed in the light that streamed in from the window. How had he ever let her go?

"Just kiss me already."

He didn't need to be told twice.

* * *

_And kissed me 'til the mornin' light, the mornin' light_

_And he kissed me 'til the mornin' light_

_

* * *

_

They lay wrapped in each other's arms as the morning rays illuminated the room. Lucius couldn't help but smile at their clothing strewn all over the place, and how all they had retained of the covers was the thin sheet that currently covered their bodies. The rest was tangled up at the bottom of the bed, testament to their activities. He stifled a yawn. They had yet to sleep.

Smoothing the hair that now stood up in a multitude of unruly directions as she snuggled close to him, he allowed himself to dream.

"I could leave Narcissa."

"You're crazy," she mumbled into his chest, but did not pull away. "And that didn't exactly go to plan last time, did it?"

"I came to your house you know, those Easter holidays," he said, defending himself. "I stood there for hours, screaming your name. Your father and brother turned me away. All the letters I sent, they came back, unopened. I tried Aurelia, I really did."

Hearing the pain in his voice, she sat up and kissed him softly.

"I know you did, but it was for my own good. I could have never been the wife your father wanted."

"But imagine the life we could have had together. Could still have."

As he gazed into the hazel eyes, he thought he saw a flicker of something, and he allowed a flicker of hope in his own heart. The hope that his Aurelia, the girl he had loved since he first set eyes on her, would finally be his. The flicker dimmed as she sighed and once again rested her head on his chest, a hand tracing the Dark Mark that she did not seem to at all mind.

"It does not do to dwell on dreams, Lucius," she said softly.

"Then tell me how you expect me to live."

"Like you've always done, like we've both done until now."

And they lay in each others arms until obligation pulled them apart.

* * *

_**A/N **_– Hope you enjoyed this latest installment. I'd be really grateful for some feedback on what you think of the story, particularly if you're going to add this story to favourites! I guess that could be taken as positive feedback, but it's always nice to get reviews. Well, until the next update. :]


	10. We Couldn't Bring The Columns Down

_**Disclaimer**__: Not owned really.

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**Samson

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**

_Oh, we couldn't bring the columns down_

_Yeah we couldn't destroy a single one

* * *

_

After that encounter, it was a long time before they saw each other again.

It would be awhile following his arrest at the Ministry of Magic that Lucius would step foot in the Ministry of Magic again. Fully pardoned, he took over as Head of Wizarding Welfare under her brother's government. Though many opposed the move, citing his past against him as if he did not know it well enough, Kingsley Shacklebolt also knew the blonde haired wizard more than many of those who deemed him unfit to ever serve the Ministry again. The Department was located at the other side of the building, far from where Aurelia continued to cement her reputation as the Dragon Lady, and their paths no longer crossed. One Ernie Macmillan, her new assistant, would be the one to arrive and declare that Ma'am Shacklebolt wants the reports by Monday, and threaten budget cuts which never came about.

The first time they crossed each other again was at a Ministry Commemoration Evening.

They were all gathered there to commemorate the liberation of the Ministry from its previous corrupt administration. Lucius was there with his family, sipping champagne quietly as he let the words wash over him. For him, so long as there was a place where he could flex his political know-how, he could not care less if there was corruption or not. But he clapped when he was supposed to, and cheered when they did, and played the part of being the reformed dark wizard who owed everything to the goodwill of Harry Potter.

Like so many times before he was distracted, looking for her.

He found her standing with her brother, and their family and close friends. Age had treated her well, and he had grown used to the short curls that they no longer seemed strange to him. Dressed in yellow dress robes, and managing not to look like a canary, she looked every bit the Hufflepuff that he had fallen for.

"You've not changed one bit have you Lucius," an old friend greeted, offering him a fresh glass of champagne. "Always staring after the Shacklebolt girl, and never doing a damned thing about it."

How wrong he was.

If only they knew how much he had tried to get Aurelia Shacklebolt, to make her his. If only they knew, if only they could see how much he loved her. Would they just let them be?

As the Shacklebolt group separated, he noticed that she was accompanied by two males that from where he was stood looked distinctively Shacklebolt. Nephews perhaps? Curiosity drew him closer, using Narcissa and Draco as cover for his actual motives. Aurelia smiled warmly as they drew closer – no, it was not just his getting used to her hair that had softened her features, she did indeed look more relaxed than she had done in years.

"Narcissa, you remember Aurelia Shacklebolt, she was in our year," he introduced. "And Aurelia, this is my wife Narcissa."

"Oh yes, the most brilliant Hufflepuff of our year. You look well."

"Likewise."

It was surreal watching the women shake hands.

"And this is my son Draco, and his fiancée Astoria Greengrass."

Aurelia greeted Draco and fiancée, before motioning for the two stood behind her to move forward.

"This is my eldest son, Gabriel."

Gabriel towered over his mother so that he could look Lucius straight in the eyes without a problem. Icy pale grey eyes met stormy grey eyes that might have been the lightest hazel in a different light. His skin was lighter than his mother's too, closer to honey than Aurelia's rich caramel, but the curls that sat neatly on his head were definitely his mothers. He stood proudly, challenging anyone to dare think themselves better than his family, retaining a protective stance behind his mother.

"And this, is my youngest, Nathaniel."

Nathaniel was very much like his older brother, from the hair to the eyes to the confident stance, but behind the glasses, his eyes blinked curiously at the world around him with a hint of mischief as he spotted his friends across the hall. With an impatient tug at his mother's sleeve, he quickly left the small gathering he had no doubt deemed too boring for his liking.

"Boys, eh?"

"It seems like it was yesterday that it was Draco anxious to get away from his parents," Narcissa laughed, looking affectionately at the son who was far from a child anymore. "How old is Nathaniel?"

"He just turned seven," Aurelia said, looking at her youngest affectionately. "To think, only a few more years and he'll be running riot at Hogwarts."

"Another Hufflepuff?" Lucius asked.

"Nathan's more of a Gryffindor," Gabriel answered. "Poor Hufflepuff would be doomed if he set foot anywhere near it. Now if you'll excuse Messrs. Malfoy, Mrs. Malfoy, Ms Greengrass and Mother, I have a bone to pick with a certain Bill Weasley."

Draco and Astoria soon excused themselves too to find a younger crowd to converse with, as did Narcissa, spotting a childhood friend she had not seen since before the Second War. Lucius and Aurelia were left standing, years of tension still evident between them. He was the first to break the silence, with a topic that was now at the forefront of his thoughts.

"I did not know you had children."

"You never asked Lucius," was her response. "To be fair, Gabe wasn't really a child by the time I started working at the Ministry. He'd already started working with the Weasley boy as a Curse breaker and was travelling around the world."

"That's quite an age gap."

She smiled wryly. "Nathaniel was an unexpected blessing."

"They seem to both take after their mother more than their father."

"Oh, I wouldn't be so sure. Gabe was the first Shacklebolt to be Sorted into Slytherin." Before Lucius could ask more questions, someone asked to borrow Aurelia. "If you'll excuse me Lucius."

And in a swirl of yellow robe, she was gone.

So many years had passed, so much had changed, and yet things had remained the same.

Aurelia Shacklebolt was still out of reach.


	11. The Bible Didn't Even Mention Us

_**Disclaimer:**__ Harry Potter be not mine.

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_

**Samson

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**

_And history books forgot about us_

_And the bible didn't mention us, not even once

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_

One day, Lucius was on the other side of the building and it hit him that he had not seen Aurelia in a long time, long for what little contact they had. He found himself wondering if her curls were still short, if motherhood had continued to soften her features or if perhaps in the time he had last seen her another unexpected blessing had appeared in the shape of a third son, though he suspected this last one was unlikely. From what his research had thrown up – yes, he was back to borderline stalking – there was no significant other in her life.

He walked into her office and stopped at the Macmillan boy.

"Mr Malfoy, your report is due-"

"I'm very well aware when the report is due, thank you," Lucius said coolly, ignoring the younger man's affronted look. "Where is Miss Shacklebolt?"

"On bereavement leave, sir," he said, hanging his head gravely. "Her son, Gabriel, was killed during his latest mission."

Rushing as fast as his sense of decorum would allow him, Lucius made his way back to his office, instructing his assistant to cancel all his appointments and to not disturb him until the next day. Grabbing Floo powder, he called at her home. He disliked calling first, being on hands and knees seemed hardly fitting, but he could hardly arrive uninvited, especially since he had no idea where she now lived.

He appeared in what seemed to be the living room: directly in front of him was a sofa covered in what seemed to be more blankets and pillows than was necessary, a couple of armchairs and a coffee table set on a threadbare rug to protect the wooden flooring.

"Aurelia!"

The mass of pillows moved, and from underneath peered one Aurelia Shacklebolt.

"Leave me alone Lucius."

"Can I come through?"

"What do you want?"

"I'm worried."

"You're not the only one."

"Aurelia, please."

"Suit yourself."

Pulling his head out, within moments he was barely keeping his balance as he appeared in her living room. She had sat up in the space he was gone, and looked at him curiously through her bloodshot eyes. Understandably she had been crying, but it seemed strange to him, having never seen her so upset before.

"How are you holding up?"

"As well as you would be if it was Draco who was gone."

"What happened?"

"He'd been working for the International Auror Force. They were deployed to Italy where they were met with unexpected force. Gabe made sure his team got out of there, but he wasn't able to save himself."

"At least it was an honourable death."

"I would prefer it if it were no death at all."

"Where is ... Nathaniel?"

"Staying with the Weasleys. They're better at keeping his mind off it than I am."

"I'll make you some tea. Where is your kitchen?"

"Go through that door and you'll see it."

As Lucius steadied himself making tea, he couldn't help but nosy around. It was how he had expected it; a traditional kitchen with dark wood furnishing, overlooking a vast garden. The kitchen table was strewn with papers. Some he recognised instantly as bills and taxes, but another drew his eye.

_This hereby certifies that Gabriel Himesh Shacklebolt  
was born on 2__nd__ June 1971 at 8.30 in the morrow  
at St. Peter's Private Hospital, Essex._

_Mother: Aurelia Isabella Shacklebolt  
Father: Lucius Draco Malfoy_

Lucius felt like he had been dealt a series of blows to the stomach.

"What is this Aurelia? Why is my name there? Why-" Her silence and continual gaze into nothing confirmed that what the piece of paper in his hand told him was true. "This was my son! My firstborn son!"

"He was never your son Lucius."

"He could have been." He sunk into an armchair, summoning some Firewhiskey as he did so, and taking gulps that burnt his throat. "Why didn't you tell me? Were you _ever_ going to tell me?"

"There was nothing to tell Lucius!" Aurelia snapped. "Were you really going to leave Black the moment I told you I was pregnant or were you going to force me to abort _my_ child for the sake of _your_ family name? I could be a Shacklebolt and a single mother, but I could never be a Malfoy with a child born out of wedlock! You and I both know that."

"You had no right to hide him from me! Given the chance, I could have been a great father."

"Or given the chance you could have walked away from Gabe just as you left me!"

"I fought for you!"

"Not hard enough, never hard enough!"

"I loved you Aurelia! I love you still!"

"That's not enough Lucius, that's never going to be enough."

And he would later go to the funeral, a stranger amongst family. They would ask him why he was there, and he would tell them that it was his son being buried that day. He would tell them about the son he never knew, and listen to stories from friends he had never met until the day he buried Gabriel Himesh Shacklebolt-Malfoy. He would come by and make her tea, and she would bring out photo albums that she would talk him through, sometimes smiling, sometimes crying, and finally, she would let him be part of his son's life.

Narcissa didn't understand why he had to spend so much time over there, why the bastard child that he had never known meant so much to him, but then again, she never understood.

* * *

**A/N** – Ah, the story of Lucius and his first love is drawing to a close. I'm tempted (as I am with most of my fanfics) to write a sequel, but we'll see. Reviews are welcome as always!


	12. Downfall

_**Disclaimer:**__ I own nothing.

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_

**Samson

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**  
_You are my sweetest downfall_

_

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_

Lucius Malfoy could not believe it the day Narcissa served him divorce papers.

He decided he probably deserved it, but he had never expected it from the spoilt brat who had lived off his wealth these past three decades or so. She was nearing what was classed as middle age for most women, and though she retained her good looks, who on Earth would want _her_? After these years of only managing to half-heartedly love her, he hadn't realised that it would feel so strange to wander the Malfoy mansion at night and be met with silence that he knew had nothing to do with his sleeping wife.

Draco was long gone; he had taken up one of the Malfoy manors with Astoria, and Lucius was now even a grandfather to the little Scorpius Malfoy, recently turned four. Lucius had had to sit through several hours of torture that they called a birthday party because it made his family happy to have him there, and even he had to admit that the little boy had the makings of a decent Malfoy.

And now, Narcissa had upped and left.

Where she had gone, he couldn't bring himself to care.

She had after all just taken several thousands of Galleons from his accounts.

Rather than throwing himself into work and taking over businesses to make up for the deficit in his accounts as he had done when he was younger, Lucius took this as a sign to give up, or a sign from the Powers That Be that he was now allowed a mid-life crisis, assuming he would not be living past the ripe old age of one hundred and twenty. And for the first time in his lifetime, Lucius could freely admit that he was depressed.

Aurelia came looking for him when it had been a fortnight since he had shown his face at work, and several days since he had come round for a natter over tea and biscuits that had become a regular occurrence for them. Sometimes they talked about Gabe, sometimes they talked about them, but some days they were just content with talking about the weather.

She found him in his study, surrounded by books that he had quickly lost interest in, a memoir that looked more like chicken scratching on pages that a dog had then torn up, and many clinking bottles of alcoholic beverage, very few not empty and rolled into a corner. The usually handsome Malfoy had allowed himself to grow a beard, and he couldn't quite remember when he had last taken a shower.

"You look rough."

"I do adore your constant insistence on pointing out the truth where it _doesn't_ matter," Lucius had snapped back, curling into the covers he had brought down to make his study more bearable.

Refusing to rise to the bait, she grabbed the last bottle out of his hand instead. "I think you'll find that this an instance that _does_ matter. You stink."

"I didn't point these things out when _you_ were grieving."

"I have another son to think about. I could hardly spend my days in my pyjamas, drowning my sorrows."

"If it wasn't for me, you would have done."

"Let's assume that's correct. Now I'm here for _you_."

It was an ultimate test of that Hufflepuff patience to coax a melancholic and thoroughly stubborn Lucius from that seat and up to a bathroom so that he would just take a bloody shower. He knew he was being a pain, but he longed for that contact with Aurelia, to have her care about him like he had always dreamed. As she brought clothes to him where he sat on the bed, staring lifelessly into space, he would allow him to imagine that she was his wife, and had been all along, and she was taking care of him while he continued to grieve for his, no _their_, lost son. Lucius would count down the hours until he heard her footsteps, and the tell tale swish of her robes against the plush carpets, and she would bring him a cup of tea and something to eat.

He lived for those moments with her, but in the state he had driven himself in, he couldn't find a way to tell her that without her, his world became this black hole that he could not struggle free from.

"Please," was what he gathered up the courage to say one morning, grabbing hold onto her robes as she turned to leave. "Please stay."

"I'm sorry, I have to go," Aurelia said, her face showing him that she meant every word. She kissed the top of his head. "Nathan will be home from Hogwarts soon."

And even though she hadn't meant anything like it at all, Lucius took it as her rejecting him and resigned himself to hours of sleep a day, unable to face the reality that confronted him every time he jolted awake. She would come by to find him asleep, and would leave him notes and messages which he crumpled before he read. He was being childish, but he wanted to be the only man in her life. If she didn't love Nathaniel so, perhaps more so now that Gabe was gone, Lucius would have resented the boy.

In the midst of all this sleep, it came to be that he had spent so much time away that Kingsley deemed it necessary to accompany his sister on one of her visits. Dressed in regal robes fit for his station, he had followed Aurelia in silence, the abandoned feel to the once stately manor saying more than she had explained. Having been forewarned of this visit by Aurelia, Lucius was found sat in the drawing room, fully dressed and bathed.

"Lucius, how are you doing?"

"I have seen much better days, Minister," Lucius shrugged. Kingsley exchanged a look with his sister. Just like he had never seen the older Malfoy sporting such a ragged look, he had never seen Lucius shrug before.

"I'm here because with you incapacitated the Department needs a new Head. Unless you would be able to return to work within a fortnight, I will have to consider replacing you."

Lucius nodded in understanding. "Who will be my replacement?"

"Hermione Weasley."

The response her name had solicited in Lucius was proof enough for Kingsley that Lucius needed help or should maybe consider early retirement. The Lucius everyone had known and loved would have gone to work that minute if only to stop the likes of Hermione Weasley polluting the Ministry with her Muggleborn ways. All this Lucius had done then was shrug once more and offer the Minister some tea before he returned to the office.

In his many moments alone, Lucius would lament that in the space of a year he had lost a son, a wife and his job, and he couldn't help but think it would have never happened if it weren't for Aurelia.

She had been his downfall.

* * *

_**A/N **_– Ah, poor, poor Lucius. I've grown to really care for the older Malfoy. After Snape, I think he might just become a favourite character. Well, his was the penultimate chapter to this ficlet. I am still contemplating whether I shall write an epilogue. Reviews as always would be much appreciated. Thanks for reading!


	13. I Loved You First

_**Disclaimer:**__ I own nothing.

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_

**Samson****

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**

_I loved you first

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_

But it was not long before Lucius regained what he had lost.

In fact, he might even say that he had gained so much more.

Emerging from the fireplace, he was greeted with the smell of a delightful lunch and the sound of music from the kitchen radio. He loved it when he came home from his weekly meetings with Psyche Healer to find Aurelia was home. Walking through the living room and into the kitchen where he found the woman in question dancing to the music as she popped a cake in the oven, he wrapped his arms around her, taking a deep breath of the vanilla essence she still wore.

Even now she smelt the same as always. She smelt like home.

"How did it go?"

"He insists that I am harbouring some repressed animosity from my childhood which I then deflect negatively onto my surroundings without taking into consideration my actual feelings," Lucius drawled. "A complete waste of money if you ask me."

"It's doing you worlds of good," Aurelia countered, turning around so that she could look at him. "I haven't seen you this happy in... _ever_ Lucius. The happy Pureblood look suits you so much more than the haughty one you used to sport."

"Maybe it's due to the fact I have things to be happy about rather than because I'm talking to some quack for an hour every day. I hope you realise that I'm never going to get those hours back."

Rolling her eyes, Aurelia went back to finishing off the lunch as Lucius made himself useful and helped set the table.

Some days it still felt strange to him to live in a home without a house elf, to help with small tasks such as setting the table, putting his laundry in a hamper rather than leaving it crumpled at the bottom of the bed, and taking out the rubbish whenever Aurelia nagged him to. He had moved out of the Malfoy Manor awhile ago, a little over a year now. At first it had been for health reasons, and now he had taken up permanent residence at Hillsborough Cottage, Aurelia's home, which was very little like a cottage in terms of size but had the homely feel of one. Wood lined the floors and walls had a yellow wash that he had curled his lips at distastefully during his first week there. Random knickknacks could be discovered on shelves, in corners, on tabletops that he was close to telling Aurelia to stop buying them for her family no doubt gave her enough.

Draco had taken up residence in the Wiltshire Manor. Lucius wondered what womanly touch Astoria had given her new home, and how Scorpius was doing. He had not seen either his son or grandson in what felt like forever.

"Will Nathaniel be joining us for lunch?" Lucius asked, as he went to set a third seat.

As if on queue, the young man came bounding down the stairs and into the kitchen. He looked so much like Gabriel as he continued to shoot upwards, and his features chiselled into the strong features his brother had sported, and with the same protectiveness over his mother. But apart from that he was little like his late brother. Sometimes Lucius wondered how a Slytherin father and a Hufflepuff mother had managed to produce the over-active sprite with the curly hair that bounced around with him, and the bright grey eyes that shone with nothing else but mischief behind glasses that broke on regular basis.

"Hey!" he greeted, as he saw Lucius was back. "What's up, old man?"

"Nathan!"

"Mum, for the last time, I'm not calling him Dad," Nathaniel sighed, helping himself to the cookie jar. He threw a grin in Lucius direction. "Isn't that right old man?"

Lucius returned a smirk. "If your mother hadn't kindly asked me not to, I can assure you I would have hexed you into oblivion by now."

"See? Old man and I get on like a house on fire." The young boy ducked out of the way of the spatula that flew towards his head and headed towards the door. "Laters y'all! I'm off to corrupt young Theodore Tonks."

"But what about lunch?" Aurelia shouted as her son disappeared. "I want you back by sunset!"

"But Mum! We're going for a kick-about with the local boys! Then we might stop by the Burrow!"

"Sunset!"

"I'll Floo if necessary!"

"Nathan!" There was the sound of the shutting front door. "I swear, that boy..."

"Is wonderful," Lucius finished, wrapping his arms around her again. "_Our_ son is wonderful."

Aurelia smiled up at him. "You're going to let him get away with murder aren't you?"

"And you don't?"

"I'm making up for lost time."

"You're doing a great job so far."

Lucius thought he was too, considering that it was a pretty big bombshell to discover that the youngest son of the love of his life was in fact also his biological son, conceived during one night of passion, fifteen years ago. He also took time every now and then to congratulate himself on having such virile sperm that it only took two attempts to produce such fine sons.

It hadn't been the heartfelt reunion that Lucius would have liked to imagine with Gabriel, where father and son would have embraced each other, lost years made up in that one moment. Instead, upon being introduced to Lucius, Nathaniel blinked at him through his glasses and dubbed him 'Old Man'. Granted, upon arriving he had been sporting a fuzzy beard and had seen much better years, but even with his improving state, the name had stuck, despite (or perhaps, because of) his mother's attempts to try and get him to address his father properly.

"I agree. I took him cross-Channel flying last week and he absolutely loved it."

"What part of do not encourage him do you not understand? I don't want him getting into all of that. It's bad enough half my family's in law enforcement, he's already battered his brain enough with Quidditch and he's been talking of following in Gabe's footsteps! Just stop-"

"Just stop worrying so much," Lucius soothed, pulling her closer, nuzzling her neck. This was not an unusual outburst. As Nathaniel slowly grew up, his ambitions and vigour for life following, Aurelia's panic at losing another son grew with it. "A bit of fresh air never hurt anyone."

"You're just as bad as he is."

"Or maybe I'm worse," he growled, lowering his arms to her hips and pulling her back onto him. "What do you say we make some more sons?"

"Lucius Malfoy, have you no shame!" Aurelia exclaimed in mock horror.

"And Mrs. Malfoy, do you not know it is your duty to bear me children?"

"Hmm, say that again."

"It is your duty to bear me children."

Turning around, Aurelia slapped him playfully. "Lucius!"

Pulling her close, his grin identical to his sons, he rested his head against her forehead. "_Mrs._ Malfoy."

"You have no idea how long I've waited to hear you say that."

"Not as long as I've wanted to be able to say it."

Theirs had been a winter wedding, bucking the trend of wizarding summer weddings, and it had taken place deep in the French Alps, where the French Malfoy counterpart owned what seemed to be the entirety of the village nestled deep within the snow, with chalets for the guests and a grand mansion perfect for the ceremony. It had been wonderful, magical in every sense of the word, the wedding both had always dreamed of but could have never imagined would have been anything like it was, surrounded by family and friends.

It would have been perfect was it not for Draco's refusal to acknowledge their union. He had refused to attend the wedding, and refused to let Lucius see his grandson, even though Astoria would sometimes send updates as to how they all were, always politely apologising for her husband's stubbornness.

Much to Nathaniel's dismay, he had to therefore bear the brunt of his parent's love. He pulled a face as he bounded back in to retrieve the Beater's gloves he had left at the bottom of the stairs.

"Oh, really, guys, you have a room! Upstairs! Use it!"

Aurelia pulled away from her husband's embrace to shout at her son.

"Sunset!"

"I'll Floo!"

"Maybe we should eat some lunch and save the begetting of children for later?" Aurelia said, manoeuvring out of her Lucius' arms and returning to setting the lunch on the table.

Lucius pouted. "You can be such a spoilsports."

"Yes, you are most definitely my son's father."

Sitting down to lunch, conversation jumped all over the place as it usually did with them, from the weather, which was currently full mid-summer heat with August well underway, to Aurelia's promotion at the Ministry to Head Secretary to the Minister of Magic. That of course sparked talk, with her Kingsley being her brother, but Lucius reassured her that she deserved to put her years as the Dragon Lady to better use.

"How are the lesson plans coming along?"

"Not terrible, what with Severus' old lesson plans to hand," Lucius answered. "It's not the position I would have personally chosen, but it beats unemployment."

"_And_ you get to spend more time with Nathan."

"I will be deducting fifty points every time he calls me Old Man."

"You're just looking for an easy way to let Slytherin win the House Cup."

"Well, I _am_ their new Head of House."

"Please don't corrupt the children."

"I don't hear you telling Nathaniel not to corrupt Theodore."

"I tell him all the time!"

"That doesn't mean I hear it."

"Oh, you are incorrigible."

A flick of the pea was all it took to ignite a full on food war that would leave the kitchen in a mess, and end with the two lovebirds, still in the honeymoon period of their marriage lying in bed, occasionally removing some mash that had remained imbedded in their hair. Lucius loved to run his hands through her hair now she finally let it grow past her ears, the curls framing her face as it had done so long ago. She was his lioness.

"When was the first time you fell in love with me?"

"Fifth year, when Black started dating you and I realised that I wanted to be her," she replied, resting her head on his chest, wiping away a random spot of gravy. "There you were, this platinum Adonis and I couldn't tear my eyes away. It hurt when I realised that unlike most of your House, you might actually have a heart."

"When did you realise this?"

"When I watched you mentor Severus Snape. Poor dear was always getting trampled on, but you looked out for him, even when you didn't have to. You showed kindness even though I'm certain it would have benefited you more not to."

"Lesson plans, my dear, lesson plans," he reminded her lightly. "God rest his soul. He was a great man."

"What about you?"

"First year. The minute I saw you walk up to that hat, and you were so irritated it touched your head, I knew you were the woman for me. You have no idea the extent of my disappointment when you were Sorted into Hufflepuff."

"Are you serious?"

He nodded.

"I loved you first, Aurelia. I loved you first."

* * *

**FIN**

* * *

_**A/N: **_So ends the journey of Lucius and Aurelia, his true first love. I hope you've enjoyed this song-ficlet. I've really enjoyed writing it. Reviews as always, are extremely welcomed, and any thoughts on me making it into a longer fic, with all the details not mentioned filled in, and extending into the Next Generation, with the adventures of Nathan Shacklebolt-Malfoy and Theodore Tonks.


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